Sacramento, CA – This election, voters face long ballots and are being asked to weigh in on a wide variety of critical issues. Whether you vote early, by mail, or on Election Day, we’ve made the decisions easier. After careful study and analysis, the League of Women Voters of California has recommendations on 7 statewide ballot measures:

YES on Prop 1: Veterans and Affordable Housing Bond – California is experiencing a housing crisis. The state’s extreme shortage of affordable housing has life and death consequences, especially for people with low incomes. Housing instability has been linked to public health crises, food insecurity, and developmental problems in children. Prop 1 will build and preserve affordable homes, including supportive housing, for veterans, working families, people with disabilities, Californians experiencing homelessness and others struggling to find a safe place to call home. It will authorize $4 billion in general obligation bonds, to be used to support these affordable housing programs. It would also leverage federal dollars for construction of new housing.

YES on Prop 2: Homeless Housing Bond – A quarter of the nation’s homeless reside in California–over 130,000 people. A significant percentage of our homeless population suffers from mental illness. Prop 2 allows the use of unspent money, originally allocated through a 2004 measure to fund mental health services, to be used to address the problem. If passed, the unspent money would be used to provide permanent supportive housing for people who need mental health services, and are either currently homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

NO on Prop 3: Water Bond -It is essential that California manage and develop water resources in ways that benefit the environment, and that the environmental focus emphasizes both conservation and use-appropriate high water quality standards. However, this bond is not the way to accomplish those goals. While the League of Women Voters of California supports the use of long-term debt (bond measures) to finance capital projects, this measure has a number of fatal flaws, including:
● Shifting the cost for water from the end users to California taxpayers;
● Reducing state money available for other critical state programs like education, affordable housing, and healthcare;
● Failing to provide for adequate project oversight and financial accountability.

NO on Prop 4: Children’s Hospital Bond – While the League supports quality healthcare for all Californians, Prop 4 would use $1.5 billion in public, general obligation bond money to support privately-owned children’s hospitals, along with five children’s hospitals in the University of California system. State funds should not be used to support private facilities. This principle stands even when, as is the case in this measure, the facilities serve severely ill children. The bond money would be used for construction, expansion, renovation, and equipment projects. These are capital improvements that could be funded either through revenues the private hospitals generate or through capital campaigns (where, for example, a building is named after a donor).

NO on Prop 5: Property Tax – Property taxes are the major source of funding for schools and local services. Prop 5 is a costly constitutional amendment that would reduce funds for schools and local services by $1 billion per year. In exchange for that $1 billion a year, Prop 5 would provide special tax benefits to some property owners. It does nothing to help low-income seniors, or families struggling to find housing. Seniors already have the ability to keep their tax break when they downsize. Prop 5 drains California’s coffers of money that is essential to schools and communities.

NO on Prop 6: Gas Tax Repeal – California is in critical need of highway and local street repairs and maintenance, and improvements to mass transit and transportation. Prop 6 would repeal the recently-enacted 2017 package of taxes and fees approved by the State Legislature to fund transportation projects, amounting to a loss of $4.7 billion in annual funding. The measure would also add a constitutional amendment requiring any fuel or diesel taxes to be approved by voters, limiting the legislature’s ability to address California’s serious infrastructure needs. Passage of this repeal measure would have significant negative impacts and leave our state structures vulnerable, especially during natural disasters.

YES on Prop 10: Repeal Costa Hawkins – Multiple strategies are needed to address the significant housing shortages and inequities that exist across California. While this rent control measure offers little systemic progress, and may not result in adding new affordable housing units, it does allow local communities to respond to the housing crisis in ways that are appropriate for each of them. We support providing local communities with this control.

PLEASE NOTE: Because League positions do not cover the issues in the following measures, the LWVC is taking no stand on Prop 7 (Daylight Savings Time), Prop 8 (Dialysis), Prop 11 (Ambulance Drivers), and Prop 12 (Farm Animals). Prop 9 was removed from the ballot.

“The League fights for just and responsible public policy—making life better for all Californians”, said League of Women Voters of California President Helen Hutchison. “Join the fight and vote with the League on November 6!” she added.

Where can you get more voting information?

Visit our online voter guide, Voter’s Edge California for detailed information on all candidates and state and local ballot measures and to find your polling place.

ABOUT THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF CALIFORNIA:

The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy. Membership in the League is open to men and women of all ages. With more than 90 years of experience, the League is one of America’s most trusted grassroots organizations. Read more about the League of Women Voters of California at http://www.lwvc.org.